Reacher Creator Lee Child Was Surprised By A Key Character's Casting In The Prime Video Series

Casting is important on any TV or film project, but it was particularly significant on "Reacher." The immensely popular Prime Video series has broken records since it debuted in 2022, but when it first started, it was somewhat of a question mark. The series is, of course, based on the popular Jack Reacher books by British novelist Lee Child, which follow the titular ex-military policeman on his travels around the U.S. as he finds himself embroiled in all manner of debacles. But previous attempts to bring the character to the screen had proven divisive among fans of the novels.

For the 2012 movie "Jack Reacher," Tom Cruise was cast in the lead, which even Child himself has since admitted was a mistake. Cruise reprised the role in 2016's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," but fans simply weren't having it. At issue was the star's diminutive stature, which wasn't even close to the tank of a man described in the books.

When it came time for Jack Reacher to enter the streaming age, then, Child ensured the star had a suitable physique, which is how we got giant man Alan Ritchson playing the lead in "Reacher." At 6 feet 3 inches and roughly 235 pounds, Ritchson certainly meets the requirements to play Jack Reacher, which is why it's surprising that Amazon initially didn't want to cast him. But it seems Child didn't get everything he wanted in terms of casting "Reacher" season 1, though the author admits that's probably for the best.

In season 1 of "Reacher," the titular ex-army man visits the town of Margrave, Georgia, where he's quickly swept up in an investigation into the illicit dealings of a local criminal organisation who may or may not be responsible for killing Reacher's own brother. While in Margrave, Reacher gains two allies in the form of Malcolm Goodwin's detective Oscar Finlay and Willa Fitzgerald's Officer Roscoe Conklin.

The former became a trusted friend to Reacher and a fan-favorite character who made a cameo appearance in season 2. Roscoe, meanwhile, went from an ally to a love interest throughout the first season, with Reacher ultimately leaving her behind at the end of the season in much the same way as he usually leaves all his romantic partners — including Sonya Cassidy's Susan Duffy from season 3, the best thing to happen to "Reacher" since it began.

Fitzgerald was no rookie when she appeared in season 1 of "Reacher." The actress had already appeared in MTV's underrated "Scream" series and the BBC's "Little Women" adaptation. But her portrayal of Roscoe Conklin definitely helped raise her profile, and she has since gone on to appear in Netflix's "The Fall of the House of Usher" before starring in the streamer's medical drama "Pulse" and leading the thriller film "Strange Darling." Clearly, then, Roscoe was a big role for Fitzgerald, but it turns out Lee Child was initially envisioning someone completely different for the part.

Lee Child, who serves as executive producer on "Reacher," interviewed Alan Ritchson for SquareMile back in 2022, and the conversation turned to the author's original vision for the characters in his books. After Ritchson asked Child whether he struggles with casting actors who look nothing like his original image of the characters, the writer said, "Yeah, absolutely. That's really the central issue from the writer's point of view," before going on to explain how this was a particular challenge that came with casting Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin in season 1. "With TV and movies, immediately you are into the world of physical reality," he said, adding:

"These are real people in real space. For instance, Willa Fitzgerald, who plays Roscoe, was nothing like how I had mentally pictured. I'm incredibly visual about it – I'm living with this character for six months while I'm writing the book and I see her incredibly clearly in terms of appearance. Willa was not like I had envisaged."

But Child had no choice but to acquiesce once he saw Fitzgerald audition. "She just owns her scenes," he said. "I'm like, I was wrong! This is what Roscoe is like!" Clearly, then, the writer was quick to change his perspective, with Child since saying he's "devastated" that Roscoe didn't return for season 2 of "Reacher".